SB 902 Property tax; exemption for solar energy equipment and facilities has been “Engrossed by Senate,” but in an amended form. At first pass, the amended form appears to have put back into the bill language that was explicitly removed from the originally proposed 2018 legislation. The next step for the bill is for it to be “read a third time” and then voted on in the Senate, which will happen quickly. If the bill passes the Senate it will be sent to the House. An explanation of Virginia’s legislative process is found here.

At the heart of SB 966, SB 967 and the debate around them is the Commonwealth’s relationship with our investor owned, for-profit utilities (IOUs) – Dominion and Appalachian Power. Although the bills appear to move us forward with respect to a clean energy future, they primarily maintain the status-quo for Virginia’s regulated utilities. That is, they continue to be granted a monopoly for supplying power in the regions they serve. While this model fit how energy was produced, distributed, and used in the past, it is questionably that this is the best model for the future.

The recent-past and current debate suggest that the IOUs hold too much sway in Richmond. Legislation that puts more balance to the regulatory process and keeps open the door for much more privately owned distributed generation should be given priority. The issue of how we regulate electric utilities in Virginia is one that all Virginian’s should follow closely.